After staying hidden in Amegakure for more than ten days and confirming that even Black Zetsu and White Zetsu didn't dare to return for reconnaissance, Ethan and Jiraiya set off on their journey back to Konoha.
During these days, Jiraiya learned that the true masterminds behind the Akatsuki were Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, and that the masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara was merely his "representative."
"So, who exactly is that guy?"
"Uchiha Obito."
Ethan hadn't originally planned to reveal this, but after giving it some thought, he realized it wasn't such a critical secret. Rather than letting Kakashi discover the truth during battle and possibly lose his composure, it would be better for him to find out earlier and prepare himself.
"Uchiha... Obito?"
Jiraiya wasn't very familiar with the name. He only sighed over how powerful the Uchiha bloodline was, constantly producing such formidable individuals.
Although Jiraiya hadn't fought Obito personally, the fact that the enemy had managed to sneak so close to them undetected, and that it was Ethan who first noticed him, was enough to prove the opponent's strength.
As for Obito being instantly taken down by Ethan's genjutsu… that couldn't be used as a benchmark. Especially after Jiraiya, out of curiosity, asked about the genjutsu Ethan had used, he felt that no one in Konoha could withstand that move. Anyone would have fallen to their knees.
It wasn't until Ethan explained Obito's identity further that Jiraiya realized the true implications of the masked man's background.
"You mean… he was Kakashi's former teammate? The one who gave him the Sharingan?"
"Yes."
"..."
Jiraiya immediately understood the problem. Faced with such a situation, all he could do was sigh. There was nothing else to say.
The two continued their journey without rest, stopping only in towns to resupply, and soon returned to Konoha.
After reporting everything to Tsunade, she also fell into silence. After thinking for a while, she looked at Jiraiya and Ethan, unsure.
"Do you think we should tell Kakashi?"
"He has the right to know," Ethan said calmly. "Besides, there will be another battle sooner or later. If he finds out the truth in the middle of a fight, it could shake his focus. It's better to let him know in advance."
Tsunade bit her fingernail. She had to admit Ethan's reasoning made sense. Learning such a truth during combat could indeed be fatal.
Although Obito was once a Konoha ninja, he was now an enemy threatening the entire ninja world. Kakashi, on the other hand, was one of Konoha's core fighting forces. Before Naruto's generation fully matured, he was the most suitable candidate to become the next Hokage. Of course, now there was another potential choice: the return of the Fourth Hokage.
"I'll be the one to tell him..."
The sudden voice didn't come as a surprise. Although the speaker hadn't appeared, everyone present knew he was there.
Like Itachi, Minato now served as the Hokage's hidden guard, adjusting to his resurrected body while also protecting Tsunade.
Despite being the Fourth Hokage, Minato was not someone who sought power. He was willing to assume a different identity for Konoha's sake.
"I almost forgot, Minato, you were Obito's teacher."
"I really didn't expect that person to be Obito..."
Minato had never imagined that the Nine-Tails attack, which had taken both his and Kushina's lives, was orchestrated by his own student. He suddenly felt it was a good thing Ethan hadn't killed Obito, because he wanted to ask him personally what had caused such a transformation.
He wasn't worried about finding Obito. The Flying Thunder God seal was still on him. If he wished, he could appear beside Obito at any moment.
Minato left, presumably to find Kakashi. That teacher-student pair would likely have a long, emotional conversation about what Obito had experienced, and whether he could still be brought back to the right path.
But Tsunade wasn't focused on that matter anymore. Like Jiraiya, she had noticed Ethan's intention to leave.
"I heard you're planning to leave?"
"I've been thinking about it."
Ethan stretched his neck, then stood by the window, looking outside.
The view from the Hokage's office was excellent. From here, most of Konoha Village was in sight. Speaking of which, he rarely stayed in one place for this long. No matter which world he was in, he was always wandering. Even if he had a fixed residence in some worlds, he never stayed there permanently.
"With your power, you should be able to come back anytime, right?"
"It's complicated..."
If this were a normal planar world, Ethan could come and go freely. But this was the main god's world belonging to that troublesome brat, one of countless mission worlds. Whether it was a "main world" or "parallel world" didn't matter to him.
Ownership of a world was easy to deal with. The real problem was that this world was enemy territory.
The moment Tsunade and Jiraiya heard that, they realized the situation was more serious than they had imagined. They had never seen Ethan look so conflicted. Before, no matter what happened, he always gave off an air of "this is easy."
Even when the Akatsuki's backers included Uchiha Madara and the even more mysterious Black Zetsu, Ethan hadn't seemed troubled. To him, the events in this world were no more than child's play.
While that made them feel discouraged and frustrated—as if their life's work was trivial in his eyes—they also understood that this was simply the reality.
If even Ethan found something troublesome, then it was far beyond anything they could involve themselves in, let alone help with.
Ethan turned around and saw the frowns on Tsunade and Jiraiya's faces. They looked even more worried than he was.
"Why do you two look like that?"
He immediately understood they were worried about him and waved his hand with a smile.
"Actually, it's not absolute. As long as I defeat that enemy, everything will be fine. Not only can I come back to see you, I could even invite you over, or let you live with me. It wouldn't be hard."
In fact, Ethan already had the ability to take them out of this world. He could even take more than just a few people. Even packing up this whole world and taking it with him wasn't impossible.
But there were enemies out there. Since he liked this place, he didn't want the conflict to affect it.
As long as he won, it was only natural for the victor to claim the spoils of war.
And if he lost… no point in thinking too much. Surviving would be enough.
"Is the enemy that strong?"
Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, even though he knew it wouldn't change anything.
"Yeah... stronger than me."
Abraham was undoubtedly stronger than Ethan in his original state. But since Ethan had been fortunate enough to begin integrating various rules ahead of time, his strength was rapidly rising. If his predictions were correct, once he fully recovered, he should be able to surpass Abraham—or at least be on par.
Of course, that was just an estimate. Ethan wasn't the type to boast. He preferred to be honest.
As things stood, his strength was still below Abraham's. So he told Jiraiya the truth.
"You mentioned before that you came to Konoha to recover. Are you healed now?"
"More or less. The injury brought me some unexpected benefits. I'm absorbing those now, and that process is further enhancing my power."
Jiraiya and Tsunade suddenly understood why Ethan wasn't too worried about the powerful enemy.
According to Ethan, he was still growing stronger. He had stayed here to wait until his power surpassed his enemy's.
"So, are you leaving now because you've reached that point?"
"No. I have a premonition... if I stay here any longer, the other party will soon discover my location."
Jiraiya and Tsunade fell silent. They both understood what that meant. This was an enemy even more terrifying than the Akatsuki, more terrifying than Uchiha Madara. If such an entity came to Konoha…
Faced with this situation, should they support Ethan fully? It was a hard choice. Both were at a loss for words.
"As Hokage, from Konoha's standpoint, I hope this kind of conflict can be avoided..."
"Tsunade!"
Tsunade raised her hand to stop Jiraiya from speaking, indicating that she wasn't finished.
"But, as myself, I will stand by your side, no matter how strong the opponent is. I only hope the battle doesn't take place in or near Konoha..."
Ethan looked at the serious Tsunade and knew she wasn't joking. Perhaps, in that instant, she had already prepared herself for death.
"So, you don't dislike me that much after all..."
"I'm just repaying a kindness."
Even though it was a serious conversation, Tsunade suddenly had the urge to punch him again. She could only grit her teeth and force the words out.
"I can only appreciate your sentiment. In a battle of this level, not only can you not help, you won't even be qualified to watch. Once that guy and I start fighting, as long as we're in this world... even just near this world, Konoha will be in danger of complete destruction."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)